Wired Differently: A Beginner’s Guide to Neurodivergence and Why It Matters
- Tracy King, MA, CAE
- Feb 24
- 9 min read
Funny (not so funny) story: One of the reasons I didn’t recognize my autistic neurotype at first is because of the literal thinking criteria. I understand metaphors and idioms. I was an English major. I write poetry. So clearly this excludes me – and I’m not in actuality taking this criterion literally (laughing and crying inside), right?
The DSM-5 criteria (the diagnostic manual used by clinicians) describes autism and other neurotypes based on how traits are observed and experienced by neurotypical people. They do not describe the internal experience of being neurodivergent.
Here’s what this criterion actually means: Autistic people, like me, mean the things we say. It means precision of language. There are no hidden meanings tucked between and beneath our words.
Neurotypical communication norms are indirect, use subtext, infer and sometimes use words that don’t signal what they mean, but you’re expected to have the decoder ring to understand what they actually mean.
Yeah no, I don’t have the decoder ring.
Now, I want to acknowledge that neurotypicals often think they are communicating directly when they are engaging in the unspoken decoder ring norms that are so ubiquitous that when autistic people are actually direct, it’s characterized as aggressive, angry, or even hostile.
So here’s the rub: When I write and speak about how vital it is to be clear and direct in communication — in calls for proposals, learning design, facilitation, evaluation — you may think, “Oh yeah, I’m doing that.” But are you?
There’s not only a communication gap between neurotypicals and neurodivergent folx, but there’s also an understanding gap. And the responsibility to bridge it goes both ways. It’s not just the disadvantaged party’s responsibility to carry that load and then be labeled as angry troublemakers for speaking directly and asking for collaborative design (laughing and crying inside again).
This is a teeny tiny window into a massive pervasive global problem. A challenge that all of us can address in our corners of the world. So let’s start with the essentials so we can understand each other and collaboratively design a world that works for everyone.
Neurodivergent Umbrella
Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that refers to divergent inherited neurotypes and acquired neurodivergent traits. If you search the term “neurodivergent umbrella,” you’ll see a range of components, but the graphics don’t typically distinguish between neurotype and common co-occurring traits that can but don’t always occur with each neurotype. Let me explain.
Autism, ADHD, and dyslexia are neurotypes. They represent a distinct neurology and nervous system wiring. Dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia are neurotypes. Each of these neurotypes can combine and co-occur in the same human, or not. Down Syndrome is considered a neurotype. It may, but doesn’t always, co-occur with the other neurotypes above.
The neurotypes, as we define them right now (this is evolving), are like buckets of traits. But there are other traits that individuals with these neurotypes may have but aren’t “required” to exhibit to be diagnosed as, say, autistic or ADHD neurotypes. You’ll see those traits under the neurodivergent umbrella too because they co-occur with neurodivergent neurotypes so frequently. I’m talking about traits like:
Tourette’s Syndrome and tics
Obsessive-compulsive behavior
Stuttering and cluttering
Bipolar condition
Developmental language and/or coordination conditions
Sensory processing differences
Sometimes you’ll also see anxiety and depression under the umbrella, but we have to realize that we do not know what neurodivergence looks like without trauma yet which makes anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation more prevalent in the neurodivergent community. That doesn’t mean you have to be neurodivergent to experience anxiety or depression. They are just more commonly co-occurrent than in the average population.
Some models rightly acknowledge traumatic brain injury under the neurodivergent umbrella since folx with TBI or CPTSD can develop neurodivergent traits which may or may not be permanent. These represent acquired neurodivergence through traumatic events impacting the brain and nervous system rather than being born with a neurotype, like Autism.
So when you add up inherited neurotypes and acquired neurodivergence through traumatic events, you’re talking about a lot of people. The current statistic of 1 in 5 people are neurodivergent refers only to select neurotypes. I’ll share why it’s closer to 1 in 3 in a minute, but clock how many people you know who have TBI or CPTSD as well. And consider how both those with inherited neurodivergence and those with acquired neurodivergent traits are all trying to operate in a world that was not designed for our way of being.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou
Key Terms
Now that we’ve got the big picture in view, let’s define some key terms for greater clarity.
Neurodiversity: “Neurodiversity is the diversity of ways in which humans think, learn and relate to others” (Honeybourne). Neurodiversity is a biological fact. Like biodiversity, it represents the brain and nervous system variance that naturally occurs among humans. All of us together represent neurodiversity.
Neurodivergence: “Neurodivergence is the state of being neurodivergent, which means having a mind that functions in ways which diverge significantly from the dominant society standards of ‘normal’” (Walker). Acknowledging the fact that “normal” is a construct and that people arbitrarily define what normal means over time and within different cultures, we recognize that there are norms that become the expectation which everyone is prompted to rise to. People who are neurodivergent exist outside these norms. Our brains and nervous systems operate differently from what is considered typical.
A few truths:
Neurodivergence is not a disease state; it’s a neurotype variant.
Neurodivergence is not synonymous with Autism, it’s an umbrella of divergent ways of being.
While neurodiversity and cognitive diversity aren’t exactly the same thing, there’s significant overlap. Neurodivergence is a kind of cognitive diversity.
A group of people may be neurodiverse (if at least one group member represents a variant neurotype); a person is neurodivergent.
A person doesn’t “have” neurodiversity, they are neurodivergent.
People can be multiply neurodivergent.
Neurotypical: People who live, act, and experience the world in ways that consistently fall within the boundaries of neuronormativity, or what the prevailing culture defines as “typical.” This term was coined as a means of having insightful discussions about neurodivergence without calling the majority neurotype “normal,” as that furthers the inherent privilege of the majority and oppression of neurodivergent people. But note: this term is not synonymous with “normal.” This term simply refers to the majority or typical brain and nervous system type.
Neuronormative: The set of norms, ideals, and functions that are seen as “correct” or “normal” by the prevailing societal standard.
Neuroaffirmative: An approach to terminology, communication, design, norms setting, diagnosis, support structures, environment design, etc. that accepts, supports and values differences and takes aligned action toward neuroinclusion.
Neuroinclusion: Represents a paradigm shift recognizing that neurodiversity is valuable rather than problematic. Neuroinclusion identifies barriers (interrogates institutions, environments, systems, processes, privilege and norms) and proactively engages in systemic change to co-create environments where neurodivergent people can thrive without the harm of masking and suppressing their traits. This may include embracing universal design, cultural transformation, and structural change that does not require the vulnerability and risk of neurodivergent disclosure to access accommodations but is inclusive by design. More about neuroinclusion in action: https://neurodiversity.directory/glossary/neuroinclusion-definition/
👉🏽 Notice the shift from accommodation to inclusion. Accommodation is a stopgap while we build inclusive institutions, environments, systems, processes, and norms. But accommodation requires disclosure which maintains systems of exclusion. Accommodation processes demand disclosure-exposure without the guarantee of support. In fact, research substantiates that disclosure more often results in further bias and harm. It’s risky for us to disclose neurodivergence.
If your organization perpetuates barriers because it’s an extra time/money expense to be neuroinclusive from the start, this position in effect holds that you’d rather disadvantage people than invest in removing inherent barriers and harms.
Neuroinclusion acknowledges that all people are worthy of being treated with dignity. And we are all part of the solution.
Prevalence Estimates are Low
If you know five people, it’s likely at least one of them is neurodivergent. Our current understanding of prevalence is that neurodivergence represents at least 20% of the general population.
Here’s where I say, BUT.
There are a lot of reasons why we believe that the current prevalence statistics are low. I’ll be as brief as I can.
Diagnostic gatekeeping. Medical professionals at large do not receive thorough training in identifying neurodivergence, and the common traits. The training that exists is tightly correlated to the white, male, childhood and adolescent experience. Women, BIPOC and LGBTQ folx are disproportionately misdiagnosed and miss-diagnosed. Neurodivergent traits manifest differently in women (Gellert). Bias in the medical field is unquestionably a problem.
Assessments are due for an update: Assessments need to better inquire across the range of experiences in the neurodivergent population: economic, racial, gender, sexuality, etc. There are questions in autism assessments, for example, that assume a particular socioeconomic status. Assessments do not adequately consider how the traits manifest in women or how race and culture impact how traits manifest and are observed. Before 2013, the medical community did not believe autism and ADHD could co-exist in the same person. They can. And yet they are still assessed separately; assessments do not account for how autism and ADHD manifest together.
Not enough professional assessors: There just simply aren’t enough professionals available to assess everyone who needs or wants to be assessed. This isn’t a challenge of not enough people wanting to do this work; it’s a political and insurance company gatekeeping challenge. The net result is unreasonable wait times to gain access to assessment, overworked assessment professionals, and prioritizing some cases over others. Late identified adults are lower priority.
Assessment is cost prohibitive: Health insurance does not uniformly cover professional assessment, especially for adults. And not everyone has stacks of cash lying around for private assessment.
ADHD is underdiagnosed: “It is estimated that 2.5% to 4.4% of adults meet criteria for ADHD. However, fewer than 20% of ADHD adults are accurately diagnosed and, leaving these individuals vulnerable to experience ongoing social, academic, and occupational difficulties, as well as at risk for developing comorbid anxiety, depression, or substance use disorders.” (Rivas-Vazquez) Other studies clock the rate of ADHD at large as much higher.
Autism is underdiagnosed: While current understanding is that the ratio of autistic males to females is 4:1, we are seeing multiple studies call this out as biased. Here’s one: “The true male-to-female ratio appears to be 3:4. Eighty percent of females remain undiagnosed at age 18, which has serious consequences for the mental health of young women.” (McCrossin)
There are more reasons, but these offer you a peek into why the number of neurodivergent people is increasing. As there is greater understanding of what neurodivergent traits look like, assessment and self-discovery become more widely available, and neurodivergent people find each other and finally understand their way of being. It also helps that neurodivergent people tend to choose each other for their partner relationships and make more neurodivergent people 😉
Neurodivergence is not an epidemic. The rise in rates is more akin to seeing more stars because now we have more powerful telescopes.
All this to say: You know neurodivergent people. You work with them. They are our colleagues. They are among your professional association members. They are in our classrooms and at our education events. They are an integral part of society.
What will you do?
Now you’ve got a foundation on what neurodivergence is, key terms that help us have insightful conversations about it, and the prevalence that absolutely 100% impacts your continuing education and training portfolio of courses, resources and events – where do you go from here?
A few tips:
Anything within this guide that caused you to highlight, jot a note, feel curious – follow up on it and learn more. I’ve included selected resources below that can help.
Connect with other people talking about neuroinclusion to build your network of pros seeking to better understand and implement neuroinclusion.
Consider how neuroinclusion impacts your organization (environment, processes, communication, teaming) and your customers.
Audit your event management and learning design processes for barriers to address – and address them.
Audit communication (internal, stakeholder, marketing, etc.) for opportunities to implement neuroaffirmative language and norms.
Embrace universal design. Get started by exploring Universal Design for Learning 3.0. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/
Lead from the top and engage in sustainable change management to co-create working and learning spaces that allow everyone to thrive.
What we do
I’m an autistic entrepreneur, neuroinclusion advocate, writer, trainer and consultant. I create frameworks and systems for neuroinclusive design. I’ve got lots of goodies in development, but here are ways we currently partner in our work.
I write, speak and consult on neuroinclusion – such as the business case for neuroinclusion, neuroinclusive teaming, neuroinclusion training, neuroinclusive learning design, neuroaffirmative language, and more. I’m glad you found this beginner's guide to neurodivergence as a starting point. Wander my website and you’ll find other resources too.
We implement neuroinclusive learning best practices in our instructional design work.
We consult on and implement neuroinclusive best practices in event design and management.
We conduct learner market analysis, helping associations better understand their market needs and how professionals want to engage with their programs, products and services.
We share lots of insights, resources, research and tools with our community, supporting neuroinclusion where you are. You’ll see them if you follow me on LinkedIn and subscribe to our enews.
Think about how much we could do together! If you want to learn more, reach out to me. Let’s do this.
Check these resources out to learn more
[Journal Article] Gellert B, Ostrowski J, Pinkas J, Religioni U. Underdiagnosed and Misunderstood: Clinical Challenges and Educational Needs of Healthcare Professionals in Identifying Autism Spectrum Disorder in Women. Behavioral Sciences. 2025; 15(8):1073. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15081073
[Book] Honeybourne, V. The Neurodiverse Workplace. Jessica Kinglsey Publishers: London. 2020.
[Recorded Webinar] King, T. The Business Case for Neuroinclusion https://tracyking.thinkific.com/courses/business-case-for-neuroinclusion-webinar
[InfoBrief] King et al. Neuroinclusion in CE/T: Empowering inclusive learning environments. International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). 2025. https://www.iacet.org/events/thought-leadership/iacet-infobriefs/iacet-information-brief-neuroinclusion-in-ce-t/
[Journal Article] McCrossin R. Finding the True Number of Females with Autistic Spectrum Disorder by Estimating the Biases in Initial Recognition and Clinical Diagnosis. Children (Basel). 2022 Feb 17;9(2):272. doi: 10.3390/children9020272. PMID: 35204992; PMCID: PMC8870038.
[Journal Article] Rivas-Vazquez RA, Diaz SG, Visser MM, Rivas-Vazquez AA. Adult ADHD: Underdiagnosis of a Treatable Condition. J Health Serv Psychol. 2023;49(1):11-19. doi: 10.1007/s42843-023-00077-w. Epub 2023 Jan 28. PMID: 36743427; PMCID: PMC9884156.
[Book] Walker, N. Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities. Autonomous Press: Fort Worth, TX. 2021.
Autism and ADHD Traits and Questionnaires
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